Tsundere Cocktail
by Sakagami Hina
Summary: In which Luka has a chat about her love life with a mind-reading bartender and Gakupo wakes up with someone in his bed. Read, and it'll make sense. GakuLuka, of course. Rated T mostly for language, sorry. :D
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hallo there, it's Hina-chan. So this is something I've been writing right before I go to sleep each night. You know how inspiration always strikes in the most inconvenient of times? Yeah, I was sleep-deprived half the time I was writing this, so it's a bit... different than what I usually write. And it was supposed to be a oneshot, but evolved, of course ^^"**

**Anyways, I don't usually like having several ongoing stories at once, because I feel like I might abandon one of my others... don't worry! I'm definitely not giving up Chibi Luka!**

**Disclaimer: By now, you should all very well know that I don't own Vocaloid =.=**

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* * *

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_-Tsundere Cocktail-_

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* * *

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Gakupo drifted lazily out of his dream, entirely perplexed. For some strange reason, there was a woman in his bed, curled on top of him. He'd gone to bed as usual that night, alone, but now there was definitely someone else.

It might've been his neighbor, Luka Megurine, whom he was desperately in love with, but… he wasn't so sure. It looked like her… felt like her… hell, even smelled like her… but why would Luka be in his bed? She's always found him irritating.

Gakupo's befuddled and sleepy brain attempted to process this strange development.

* * *

-_Four Hours Earlier-_

"Bartender, something to drink, please," requested the pink-haired woman, sliding tiredly onto a barstool. The venue she'd chosen to waste away her night in was situated in a quiet neighborhood, so there were only a few other patrons aside from herself. The tall brunette woman behind the counter asked what drink she wanted, and she shrugged. "Surprise me."

The bartender stared at her for a moment. "Okay, one lonely-and-sulking-yet-too-oblivious-to-acknowledge-the-one-who-loves-her cocktail coming up."

"Hey!" Luka protested. "I'm not lonely and sulking and oblivious!"

The brunette smiled and slid the drink down to the stubborn woman. "Who is he? Spill."

Luka sighed and took a sip of the drink. To her surprise, it actually helped clear her head a little. "Well… there might be someone. But it's not like it bothers me or anything–"

"Ooh," the bartender cooed. "I bet he's the doting type who leaves you flowers and writes you love notes."

Luka glanced at the woman suspiciously. "Are you a mind-reader or something?"

She laughed. "Of course; all the best bartenders are trained in mind-reading. I'm Meiko, by the way."

"Luka," the pinkette stated, sipping her drink again.

"So who is this mystery man? Coworker?"

"Neighbor," Luka said tiredly. "And it's super annoying, because he constantly leaves stuff at my door. I mean, what kind of guy leaves a woman eggplants?"

"Eggplants?" Meiko raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! Eggplants! And, of course, I _have_ to do something with them, I can't just throw them away… so then he wanders in saying, 'Oh, is that eggplant I smell? Mmm, you're such a great cook, et cetera et cetera.'" Luka sipped her drink again.

"And?"

"So, of course I can't eat it all, so I invite him over for dinner and… why are you smiling at me like that?"

"You like him." Meiko grinned at the other woman, who glared back.

"Absolutely not."

"If you say it like that, it only confirms it," the brunette noted casually.

"Say it like _what_?" Luka continued glaring.

"So, is he cute?" Meiko swiftly changed the subject.

"Uh…" a slight blush reddened her cheeks at the unexpected question. "Uh, well… his hair's really weird, it's purple…"

"Yours is pink," Meiko retorted.

"His is almost longer than mine, though…" Luka frowned at her drink and took another sip.

"Wow, that's saying something," Meiko commented, glancing at Luka's waist-length hair. "Ooh, do you have a picture?"

"Eh, a cell-phone picture…" Luka said, pulling out her phone and clicking through it until she found the picture. "Here." She handed the phone to Meiko.

Meiko's eyes widened when she saw the picture. Sure, his long purple locks were somewhat strange, but with his deep blue eyes and gentle smile… "Good god! He's gorgeous!"

"He's not… that… much…" Luka trailed off, glancing away.

"Seriously, Luka, you're crazy. Why do you keep rejecting him?"

"Because!" Luka said exasperatedly. "He's so annoying and perverted and stalkerish and… and I don't want a boyfriend anyways!"

"Why not?" Meiko inquired, not fooled by Luka's rant.

"Because all they do is snatch you up, make you feel all special, play with you for a while, and then throw you away," she said bitterly.

The two women were silent for a moment, Luka staring at her hands around her drink and Meiko watching her, shocked by the sudden outburst. The pink-haired woman took a swig from the glass, finishing it off.

"It looks like this issue is more than just with this purple-haired fellow," Meiko said, handing Luka back her cell-phone and taking the empty glass.

"Another one of those sulky drinks," Luka said, motioning towards the bar without raising her eyes.

Meiko quickly made another drink and placed it in front of the quiet woman, then checked her watch. "Shift's over," she announced, walking around the bar to sit in the seat next to Luka. Another bartender appeared, and the brunette immediately demanded a beer.

"So," Meiko began. "Past boyfriends gave you hell?"

"You have no idea," Luka said, rolling her eyes and taking a drink.

"Oh, trust me, I've been there. I think some of them are even outta the hospital by now."

Luka glanced at the brunette suspiciously, and she laughed. "Kidding. I don't do long-term damage."

Luka sighed. "It's just not fair." She took another swig of her drink.

* * *

_-One Hour Later-_

"S-soo, the teddy bear I made for him… I *hic* I found it in mah best frien's room!" Luka sobbed.

"Ah man! Asshole!" Meiko shouted.

"How could 'e do that t' meh?" she continued dramatically.

"An' this eggplant guy? Whas' he ever done to ya?"

"Nuthin'!" Luka exclaimed. "He keeps helpin' me wis stuff an' bein' all smiley an' leavin' me cute lil' notes an'… an'… I LOVE HIM SO MU-U-UUCH!" Luka began bawling on Meiko's shoulder.

"Whas' wrong with that?" Meiko asked loudly.

"WHAT IF 'E LOVES 'IS EGGPLAN'S MORE THAN MEEE?"

"LUKA! YOU'S A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN! THIS GUY IS TOTALLY IN LOVE WIS' YOU!" Meiko shouted at the woman crying in her arms.

"AHAAHH, I DUN' WANNA BE SECON' TO A FRUIT! AAAH – crap, I'm gonna be sick…" Luka suddenly said, getting up and stumbling towards the bathroom. Meiko, only half as drunk and used to things like this, followed her into the ladies' room to help her.

Once _that_ ordeal was over and Luka had cleaned out her mouth, Meiko held her up by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I'ma gonna help you home, okay? I'm gonna call a cab an' help you home, awrigh'?" Luka nodded tiredly, looking rather miserable.

They quickly found a cab. Luka recited her address. After a short ride home, Meiko helped her up to her floor.

"Uh, here…" Luka said, leaning towards one of the doors.

Fumbling with her house keys. Meiko took them impatiently. She quickly found the key that fit the door – the spare key Gakupo had given Luka "in case there's an emergency."

A mumbled thank-you, tripping over the flat floor, stumbling towards the bedroom. Half-asleep, stripping into her underwear. Climbing into the bed. Instinctively curling into the warmth of the man who was sleeping like a rock on the other side.

And that's how Gakupo found himself in his situation an hour later.

* * *

_That is definitely Luka…_ Gakupo's mind deduced. _What do I do?_

"Uh, Luka?" he said, nudging her bare shoulder. His face turned a dozen different shades of red as her body shifted closer to his. Her face pressed against his shoulder, and her warm breath tickled his skin. _Damn, _he thought_, I chose the wrong night to wear just boxers to bed…_

"Luka, wake up," he said, squirming uncomfortably at touch of her skin. The woman groaned and lifted her head to look at the man.

Gakupo caught a faint whiff of alcohol. He looked into the woman's dazed and sleepy eyes. "Luka, are you drunk?"

She continued to stare at him, then finally muttered, "Why you so damn sexy? Is' not fair…"

Gakupo just stared at her in shock as she pulled his face to hers. Their lips met, her tongue flicked into his mouth, and Gakupo's mind went blank as he automatically responded to the kiss. Passionate, satisfying, tender – it was a shame she eventually pulled away.

"What was–" Gakupo whispered, breathless. The woman's only response was to curl up on his shoulder and fall back asleep.

Gakupo sighed and smiled exasperatedly. _There's really nothing I can do about it, I guess,_ he thought, relaxing back into his bed. He wrapped his arms around the softly breathing woman. Dreamily, peacefully, he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter goes up as soon as I type it~ (I actually wrote this on PAPER, le gasp!) You can probably guess what Luka assumes when she realizes she doesn't remember anything... *evil smirk***


	2. Chapter Too Lazy to Come Up With a Name

**A/N: So, here's chapter two... it's somewhat similar to a certain chapter of Safe Haven, but shush. Maybe I just enjoy putting Luka in this kind of situation.**

**Disclaimer: No, I have not magically obtained ownership of Vocaloid in the past couple days.**

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Luka groaned. Would that incessant beeping ever stop?

_Beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep._

Each high-pitched electronic sound sent needles of pain through Luka's skull. _Ugh… so THAT's why I don't drink…_

She opened her eyes a tiny bit, the simple motion painful. She spotted the hazy outline of the blinking alarm clock, groaned again, and closed her eyes. _Okay. I'll count to 3 and turn it off. One. One… two… Ooo…_

Suddenly, the alarm clock ceased its beeping. Luka struggled to wrench open her eyes again. _Huh. My alarm clock never does that. _That's when she became aware of the breathing creature beneath her. Her mind froze for a second, then started back up at lightning speed. _Last night… I went to the bar… was talking with Meiko… she joined me for a drink, and… nothing else…_ Painfully, she lifted her head to see whose bed she was in.

Gakupo smiled awkwardly at her. "G-good morning…"

In a second Luka was at the other end of the bed. "NO, HELL NO!" she shouted at nobody in particular, yanking the blanket to cover herself up. This exposed Gakupo, who was, of course, wearing nothing but boxers. Consequently, the sight made Luka blush as red as a tomato.

"Why the hell am I in your bed?" Luka asked suspiciously.

"Who knows?" Gakupo said. "I woke up last night and you were totally drunk and laying on top of me…" He noticed her troubled scowl and added, "Don't worry, nothing happened. Except you called me sexy and kissed me. But that's it. Hey, you know, they say alcohol brings out a person's true feelings…"

"Yeah right," she snapped, interrupting his rambling.

"But I promise nothing happened, Luka. You know I wouldn't take advantage of you." He gave her that deep, meaningful look, and Luka sighed. _Why is it so hard to stay angry at him when he's like this…?_

"Ugh, what time is it?" she groaned, the weight of her hangover suddenly crashing down on her again. "I wanna go back to bed…"

"Six AM, but it's Saturday," he replied, swinging his legs over the side to sit up.

"Then why'd you have your alarm clock on?" she complained.

"Hey, you can go back to sleep on me if you want," he offered, opening his arms and trying not to smirk. _NOW it's easier to be angry at him…_ Luka added mentally .

"Very funny," she replied in a voice saturated with sarcasm. "Where are my clothes?" She looked around the room and noticed them on the floor. _Holy shit, I never expected to be doing this in GAKUPO's bedroom…_ Still clutching the blanket, she cautiously stood up… the action immediately drained the color from her cheeks and her face began making a beeline for the floor.

Gakupo quickly caught her and held her up. "Luka, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. Half-conscious, the woman groaned. "Do you want me to carry you back to your apartment?" Her eyes blinked open to see his worried blue eyes and ruffled brow.

She accidentally giggled. "I'm fine," she said dreamily.

"Yup. I'm carrying you to your apartment," he said, scooping her up blanket and all. He placed her back on his bed to pull on a shirt and pants, and by the time he'd collected her clothes and returned to her side she'd already drifted off to sleep.

He chuckled and shook his head. _So, this is what happens when she drinks, huh…?_ He gazed at her serenely sleeping face, her lips arranged in a pout. _Well, at least… at least I'm the one who gets to take care of her._

* * *

Luka's eyes fluttered open lazily to take in the calm afternoon light illuminating the ceiling of her room. Her groggy mind slowly began to function as she gazed blankly, breathing steadily. _Was it all a dream?_ she wondered. She turned her head to glance at the clock, and winced. The hangover was definitely not a dream.

According to the clock, she had just slept until 3:30 in the afternoon, yet she was still tired. She lay in bed for several minutes, contemplating whether she should get up and eat something (her stomach was just beginning to wake up, and it was not happy,) or if it was better for her health not to pass out from the headache. And the blankets were so warm and soft… Luka suddenly noticed there was an unfamiliar blanket atop her: a thin, soft comforter that fell lightly around her body. _Huh,_ she thought simply, _strange._

She was still considering her options (and clearly staying in bed was winning, as she hadn't moved an inch,) when a face appeared in the open doorframe. Curious sapphire eyes noticed she was awake and lit up. "Luka, you're awake!" the man said quietly.

"Gakupo? Why are you in my house?" she asked, more tired than angry. The memory of that morning crashed down on her fully then, and she sighed.

"I made something for you. To help with the hangover," he announced cheerfully.

Luka sighed again when she noticed the mug in his hand. "Do I have to sit up?"

"If you don't want hot tea all over your face, I'd suggest it," he said, walking to the side of the bed. He watched Luka groan and slowly shift her weight onto her elbows, lift herself up with another painful groan, and slowly wiggle up against the wall behind her. "Do you need help?" he asked after watching her pained efforts for a minute.

"I can sit up myself," she snapped. The challenge seemed to motivate her through the lingering migraine, and she quickly assumed a sitting position. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, of course, since she was still only in her bra and underwear.

Gakupo handed her the mug, and she sniffed the steam rising in wisps from the liquid. "Eew, what is this?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

"Tea," he repeated. She stared at it for a few more moments, not sure if there was poison or toxic waste mixed in. "Drink it, you'll feel better," Gakupo encouraged.

Wrinkling her nose again, she took a sip and had to force herself not to gag. "Ugh, what kind of shit is _in_ this tea?"

"Spices," he replied evasively.

"It tastes like dirt and gasoline."

"Well, those are spices."

Luka's face registered shock and horror, and the man laughed. "Kidding! It's just a few odd ingredients, that's all."

She glared at him. "Not funny, not at all. What kind of 'odd ingredients'?"

" 'Odd ingredients' that cure hangovers, of course."

"For example?"

"Uh, eucalyptus leaf."

She stared at him.

"And orange peel."

She narrowed her eyes and continued staring.

"And asparagus."

"I'm drinking ASPARAGUS?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Calm down, it's not that bad," he said sheepishly.

"What kind of freakish tea _is _this?" she gaped down at the brownish-green liquid.

"Pinch your nose. You won't taste it," he suggested at last.

She scowled down at the mug, but followed his directions. Painfully, she swallowed down the remainder of the liquid.

"Ugh. NEVER make me do that again," she complained, holding out the mug to him. "That was _disgusting._" She took a drink from the water bottle on her nightstand to wash out the taste.

"Then why'd you drink it?" he said suddenly, a curious expression on his face.

"Because you said it would make me feel better… duh…" Luka stared at him suspiciously.

"You trust me." A smile played on the corner of his lips.

"Well… yeah, of course I do…" Luka muttered, looking down at her hands.

He chuckled. "You just wait. Twenty, thirty minutes, and you'll feel all better." He casually kissed her forehead and strode out of the room before Luka could object. If her face wasn't blushing red before, it certainly was now. She stared, wide-eyed, at the doorway until his face re-appeared and she pulled herself together.

"There's some tuna in the fridge, mind if I make an early dinner?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm certainly not going to stop you," Luka said, her mouth watering at the thought of tuna. As he turned to leave, she added hastily, "But no asparagus!"

* * *

Thankfully, Gakupo's promise was true: after only fifteen minutes, Luka's oppressive headache began to lessen. She sighed in relief as she felt the pounding in her temples disappear.

Carefully, she swung her legs out of bed and stood up; the headache didn't return. _Whatever that sewer sludge was, it worked,_ she thought, both irritated and relieved. _Next time I have a hangover, I'll… actually, come to think of it, this is a pretty good reason not to get so drunk again… _

She pulled some clothes on and attempted to fix her disheveled face and hair. _Ugh, why do I care anyway?_ she thought at last, pulling her long pink hair into a ponytail. _It's just Gakupo. _Suddenly, she froze and stared at herself in the mirror. _It's just Gakupo, huh… when did I get so familiar with him? Was it because I just…_ the thought of the night before made her blush to her ears, and she shook her head. _I really want to know how I ended up, you know…_ her trail of thought withered away in embarrassment. What was it about that man that had this kind of effect on her?

She walked into the kitchen to see him humming cheerfully and leaning over a pan. He noticed her standing in the doorway, and turned to her with a smile. "Nice to see you're feeling better."

She couldn't help but smirk when she saw him. "Nice to see you're wearing my hot-pink tuna-embroidered kitchen apron."

He grinned at her and made an elaborate motion with his spatula. "Just getting into the tuna-cooking mood."

"Weirdo." Luka walked over to peer into the pan. The mouthwatering scent of tuna wafting into the air made her stomach begin to gnaw at her insides. "Sooo hungry," she said, deeply inhaling the scent of the dish as if it could ease the growling in her abdomen.

Gakupo chuckled and leaned around her to stir the fish. "It's almost done."

Luka was too busy enjoying the smell to notice, but the man had had leaned around her in a way that caged her against the stove. When she finally noticed his warmth so close to her, her face turned bright red yet again.

"Uh, Gakupo…" she muttered after a moment. _Defensive weapons? None. Darn, forgot to bring my stabbing fork._

"Hm?" he said. Noticing the position they were in, he leaned forward to murmur in her ear, "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Luka shivered automatically and tensed her shoulders. Any thought of self-defense melted out of her mind and she was left thinking, _No. No way am I giving in to him when I look like crap and he's wearing a pink APRON, for god's sake._

A few seconds passed, then he chuckled lightly and stepped back. "Relax. Dinner's ready."

Luka scurried across the kitchen to grab plates, trying to will away the blush on her cheeks. The fact that his closeness had affected her like that was unnerving… she decided to focus on the tuna instead.

As soon as they sat down at the table, Luka began gobbling down her meal. Gakupo just watched in amusement as she finished it in record time and went back for seconds.

"You like it?" he asked, smiling, as she finished up her second serving. She looked up at him, as if noticing him sitting across from her for the first time, and wiped some stray sauce off her lips with a napkin.

"It's delicious!" she exclaimed, not bothering to restrain her excitement. "Sweet and savory at the same time… it's the ultimate expression of the perfection of tuna!" Her eyes shone with passion for her favorite food.

Gakupo laughed "I'll teach you how to make it sometime."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Luka looked up and smiled warmly at him, and his heart did a backflip in his chest. She suddenly realized they were staring at each other, and she quickly focused on the remainder of her dinner.

A gentle, nudging warmth spread perceptibly throughout the room.

Dinner was finished, the plates were cleaned. Gakupo strode out the door into the hallway.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked nervously, lingering in the hallway outside her door.

Luka rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Go salvage something of your Saturday night already."

"Fine," the man sighed, turning to unlock his door.

"And, Gakupo…" Luka said quietly, leaning in her doorway. "Thank you…"

He turned around just in time to see the door close. He paused for a moment, then whispered in a barely audible voice, "You're welcome, Luka. I love you."

Luka listened to the silence. Finally, his door opened and closed with a _clak._ And her world was quiet.

She sank to her knees on the cold tile entryway and tried not to cry.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, I try not to make my stories all OMGZ DRAMA!1! but seriously, she's been through a lot. She's been hurt and constantly pushes away her emotions, and now she's even more confused and stressed yet even when she's completely alone she tries to deny her feelings. Sigh... Luka's a lot more honest with herself when she's drunk...**

**And I'm not sure I have much more to write on this story... like I said, it was originally a oneshot, but I can't figure out how to end it ^^"**

**Well, I hope you liked it! Review please~!**

**EDIT: Ahhh, thanks to MissMorgi who found a typo x_x "Then," not "They." UGH, why don't I notice these in my own writing? *Rants about being a failure, etc etc***


	3. And Tonight, the Tables Turn

**A/N: GASP! I can type up this one, too! Prepare yourselves for FLUFF AVALANCHE 8D**

**Disclaimerr: still do not own Vocaloid~ or any other animes mentioned~**

* * *

"_There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. There is only fate." ~Yuuko, xxxHOLiC_

* * *

Meiko's head shot up as the door to the bar opened. It's not like clientele was so rare in this venue that she was surprised to have a patron, but it was rather the man himself that caused her to inspect him intently. _It couldn't be…_ she thought as he sat down on the barstool with a deep sigh, holding his head in his hands. _The man in Luka's picture…?_ She immediately slid down the bar to face him. "Spill. Who is she?"

He looked up at her incredulously, and she noticed that he was even more gorgeous in person despite his tired eyes. "Don't I get to order first?"

"Fine. What would you like?"

"Uh…"

Meiko snickered at him and, grabbing a glass, began to assemble a drink. "One too-afraid-to-take-a-chance-and-see-how-much-she-loves-you over ice with a dash of hesitation and a swirl of strawberry syrup."

"Why the strawberry syrup?"

"For flavor." She handed him the drink and smiled at him questioningly. "What, you're not going to question the rest of the drink?"

He shrugged and took a sip. "You got me there, so why argue? The strawberry is nice, by the way."

Meiko grinned. "Sooo… who is she…?"

Gakupo sighed and stared down at the drink as a little smile began to form on his face. "She's smart but oblivious, calm but overreacting, she tries to hide it but you can tell she's very loving, she's stubborn, a control-freak, a great cook, an amazing singer, and the most beautiful woman in the world."

Meiko gazed at him for a moment, then hastily began to make another drink. "You, sir, just earned yourself a free 'sweetest-man-in-the-world.'" She slid a purple drink down the counter towards him.

"Why, thank you." He took a sip, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Eggplant? How'd you know that's my favorite food?"

She grinned mischievously. "Remember, the best bartenders are psychic."

"More importantly, how'd you manage to get eggplant flavor into a drink…?"

"That, good sir, is a secret." She extended her hand and introduced herself.

* * *

Dressed in simple, comfy clothing, the lone woman locked her car and began walking towards the building in front of her. She shivered in the chill of the night and slid her hands into her pockets, her right one jiggling her car keys. Extracting one of her hands from its brief warmth, she pulled open the door to the bar and stepped out of the frosty air. She was halfway across the room before she noticed its occupants and froze.

"…But I get the feeling she loves you more than you know," finished the brunette bartender, too engrossed in the conversation to notice the newcomer.

"Well, like I said, she's been hurt so badly, I'm not sure she can-" began the purple-haired man sadly, his back facing the door.

"Trust me, I know these things! Besides, with a guy like you-"

"Meiko," interrupted the visitor coldly, "are you trying to fool innocent people into believing you're a mind-reader again?"

At the sound of her voice, the bartender's eyes shot up and she smiled, while Gakupo's shoulders tensed as if he'd been hit by a significant amount of electricity. To his horror, a red blush began spreading across his face.

"Luka!" greeted the brunette warmly. "Back so soon after a crazy night like last night?"

Luka sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "I came to see if I'd forgotten my cell phone here. Did anyone find it after I left?"

"Oh, yes!" Meiko pulled her phone from under the bar and held it out to her.

Luka walked up to grab it, and sighed again when she noticed Gakupo's expression. His fists were clenched, his shoulders taut, and his face was bright red and staring at the wall like a deer in headlights. "Good evening, Gakupo."

"Good… eve… ning…" he said in a strangled voice. He finally released the wall from his wide-eyed stare, and turned his face away from the woman.

Luka turned tiredly to Meiko. "How many drinks has he had?"

She counted on her fingers. "Three too-afraid-to-take-a-chance-and-see-how-much-she-loves-you's, two sweetest-man-in-the-world's, and five shots of why-won't-she-love-me!'s." Gakupo's forehead banged down onto the counter.

"Come on, Gakupo, I'm taking you home," Luka declared, taking out her ring of keys to twirl it on her finger.

"N-no, it's fine," he said, lifting his head and recovering a little. "Besides, my car-"

"No arguments. We'll get it later. I-am-driving-you-home."

"A-ah, o…kay…" Gakupo mumbled humbly. He quickly paid for his drinks and followed Luka outside. Much like a puppy who'd been caught chewing shoes, Meiko noted. She seemed ridiculously amused by their mutual embarrassment.

When they left, she began washing glasses with a smile forming on her face. _They better invite me to their wedding._

Although, if she'd truly been psychic, she would've known whether they'd invite her or not.

* * *

Luka sat in the front seat, gripping the steering wheel and listening as the man reluctantly opened the door, slid into the passenger seat, closed the door, clicked his seatbelt in and looked anywhere but at the woman beside him.

Luka sighed and closed her eyes, still gripping the wheel in the silent car. "I'm… sorry about that… Meiko likes to get too far into other peoples' business…"

"So you two know each other?" Gakupo stated obviously.

"Unfortunately," Luka joked. She opened her eyes, turned the key in the ignition and began driving. She didn't mention the bit of conversation she'd overheard. She'd probably said much more embarrassing things not twenty-four hours before…

She glanced at the purple-haired man, sitting uncomfortably and staring out the window. In the transient light of the passing streetlamps, she noticed his conflicted expression.

"You realize I couldn't let you drive home, right?" she said quietly.

"I'm not _that_ drunk…" he muttered defensively.

"Really? Then what's 2+2?"

"How does that have-"

"Just answer it."

"Uh, four."

"What color is the sky?"

He rolled his eyes. "Blue. Black, now…"

"How many states in the U.S.?"

"Fifty, but-"

"Do you love me?"

"Of course I… do…" Both of them froze at his honest answer to the unexpected question. Luka's heart did little backflips in her chest as an undetected smile crept its way onto her face. She heard Gakupo gulp, and a quick glance to the right revealed his flustered expression. "But…" he continued, "But I would've told you that when I was sober."

They arrived at the apartments just then and Luka silently guided the car into her parking spot and turned off the ignition. _I know, but…_ "Nah, I think you'd be too scared," she teased, watching his face out of the corner of her eye.

He scoffed. "What about you? What's your answer?"

She opened the driver's side door and stepped out. "Sorry," she began, "I'm not quite drunk enough to answer that."

"That's hardly fair," he grumbled, getting out of the car as well.

Luka locked it, then turned to him with a smile. "Now, let's go get some more alcohol for you so you'll forget all about this in the morning."

"Hey!" he protested.

"Oh, and you're going to have to drink that asparagus tea!" she realized, smirking at him.

"It's not that bad…" he argued weakly.

"It's disgus-ting, admit it!"

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Yup, convinced me to _never_ get drunk again." Watching her casual teases and laughs, Gakupo noted that she was acting more... lighthearted than usual, almost fluttery. He grinned despite her continued jests.

They arrived in their hallway and simultaneously unlocked their doors. "Goodnight, Gakupo," Luka said, opening her door.

"What, I don't even get a goodnight kiss?" Gakupo pouted. Luka turned to stare at him. She looked at him, his handsome face and deep blue eyes, for much too long.

Finally she smiled. "In your dreams." And then she left.

Gakupo stared at her door for a moment, then ran his fingers through his bangs with a sigh. _That woman really is frustrating…_ He entered his apartment, closing the door quietly.

Luka couldn't sleep that night. She watched as passing cars cast light on her ceiling. She rubbed her lips together, twined her fingers in the sheet. She lay completely still and just listened to the sound of her breathing.

It was no use.

She'd wanted to kiss him.

* * *

**A/N: Did… I… seriously… just write that…? "OTL**

**Dear Meiko: You'll be the maid of honor. (MWAHAHA, the author is the ultimate psychic!)**

**Dear Luka: Why you so stubborn?**

**Dear Gakupo: Uh-oh, you're one of those "reasonable" drunks…**

**Dear chapter title: Tee-hee, alliteration~**

**Sorry, next chapter up soon~ PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE :3**

**Edit: FFFF. I type too fast. I accidentally wrote "Gakuo" once... ^^"""" (Thanks, I Me My Mine. Nice penname, btw.)**

**And TLK: YES, HE RAN HIS BANGS THROUGH HIS FINGERS. Darnit, two typos in one chapter? *Grumbles in corner* It could work... (Later, he found another one... no, Meiko is not washing "lasses" ... WHY SO MANY TYPOS? D'8)**


	4. Ze Fluffy Chapter of Fluff

**A/N: Hmm. I actually don't have much to say for this. Uh, new chappie, enjoy! ...And I'm in Canada.**

**Disclaimer: Non, I do not 'ave ze ownership of ze Vocaloid~**

* * *

Gakupo awoke the next morning with nothing but a fuzzy memory of embarrassing himself.

He opened his eyes, and his head began to ache. He lay still as small memories began to resurface through the fog, allowing him to piece together the events of the night before.

Going to the bar. _Too scared to see how she feels._ Talking with Meiko. _She loves you more than you think, _she'd said. _Girls like her, you just gotta go ahead and kiss her._ Then Luka came, and… took him home, and…

The last image he had of her was in the dimly-lit car with a little smile in the corners of her eyes.

_Ah, crap,_ Gakupo thought, _what'd I do?_ He dug through his brain, searching for the cause of the smile, but came up with nothing. _Yup, I definitely embarrassed myself…_

He waited a few minutes, then painfully extracted himself from his bed, his limbs stiffly objecting to the movement. _I didn't drink THAT much, did I…?_

As he shuffled towards the kitchen, he was greeted by the warm smell of pancakes and maple syrup.

He was surprised to find that his pink-haired neighbor had once again invaded his house using the emergency key. When she noticed him, she whirled around and plastered a huge grin on her face. "Good_morning,_ sunshine!" she exclaimed so cheerfully it was almost sarcastic. "How are you on this _beautiful_ morning?"

After his brief pause of shock, Gakupo sighed and continued shuffling through the kitchen, running his fingers through his unkempt long hair. "Are you trying to annoy me by being overly cheerful?"

"Is it working?"

"Not really."

"Then no, I am not trying to annoy you. I am just naturally this cheerful." She turned back to the pan on the stove and flipped two fried eggs onto a plate of pancakes covered in butter and syrup. "Sit down, bedhead. Here's your breakfast."

Gakupo slid into his seat and eyed the plate before him warily. Luka noticed this and grinned irritably at him. "What's the matter? I didn't put any asparagus in it."

He shook his head. "Thank… you…" he said unsurely, picking up his fork and knife.

She shrugged, her harsh smile softening. "We're even, I guess."

"Oh, no," he objected, cutting into the pancakes, "you still owe me for the tuna."

"Fine, then. I shall bestow upon you the honor of coming to my apartment and teaching me how to make it."

He pretended to be shocked. "Really, Your Majesty? I could have the honor?"

She smirked. "'Your Majesty,' huh… I like that."

He smiled and shook his head. "It suits you." More pancakes entered his mouth. They were delicious, to his non-surprise.

Luka frowned down at her watch. "I need to go grab some groceries, then. Meet me at my place in an hour?"

He smiled, his cheeks full. "It's a date."

"You wish!" the woman said, laughing once and whirling out of the apartment.

In the hallway, she pinched some life into her sore cheeks. _Smiling that much really does hurt your face…_

* * *

Gakupo stared at the apartment door across from his and sighed deeply. He honestly had no idea what to expect from the day, and frankly, he was a tiny bit scared to find out. At least his hangover had been cleared, mercifully – his secret recipe may be disgusting, but it sure worked miracles.

He was crossing the hallway to knock on her door when suddenly it opened and a pink-tressed head poked out. Her blue eyes fixed on him, and she swung the door open. "Took you long enough. Get in here." Before he had time to react, she grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him in herself.

The day went fairly normally as Gakupo instructed her on his techniques for preparing and cooking the tuna, as well as the sauce. She seemed fascinated by the knowledge, impressed that he possessed it, and irritated that she hadn't known it earlier. Gakupo caught a few smirks in his direction, and it seemed that whatever he'd done to embarrass himself the night before, she was still enjoying it.

Their early dinner mirrored the night before, except Luka didn't shovel down the fish into her mouth quite as quickly. Once she glanced up and noticed his amused expression. "What?" she demanded with her mouth full.

"Oh, do continue your very ladylike consumption of your food," he said, trying to maintain a serious face.

She stopped, swallowed, then replied, "You're one to talk, Mr. Wolfs-down-every-single-eggplant-dish-I-make."

"Oh, but how could I resist your delicious cuisine, my dear?"

"Well then, you have no excuse for criticizing my manners when a meal like this is placed before me." She lowered her eyes and made a big show of cutting off and stuffing a giant piece of tuna in her mouth.

He chuckled. "You have sauce all over your face, Your Majesty." He picked up her napkin and was about to wipe it off, but she snatched it and cleaned her slowly-blushing face herself.

Yes, everything went normally for the two of them, that is, until Gakupo was about to leave. He was headed out until he suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, then turned back as if he'd remembered something important. "Luka," he said, walking towards her with a smile. "Do you know what Meiko told me before you came?"

"Uh…" _Do I want to know? _she thought hastily.

He leaned in closely enough that she could smell the lingering scent of the mouthwatering dish on his breath. "She told me that with girls like you, you just have to go ahead and kiss them."

All traces of her former eloquence lost, Luka attempted to stutter out an objection even as her mind inevitably imagined closing the gap between them and his warm mouth… devouring it…

She automatically stepped back, her body's last-ditch attempt to reign in her imagination and begin thinking clearly, or at least, of things other than the delicious man in front of her…

She didn't have to worry, though; at the sight of her action, his face fell and his gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm not going to, though." A pang of disappointment fluttered through Luka, and she viciously tried to squash it. "I'm just a wimp then, I guess," he continued his musings, "but maybe… I suppose, just this one time, if you'd allow me to indulge myself…" He stared at his hands for a moment, glanced up at the red-faced, open-mouthed, brain-short-circuiting woman, then quickly pulled her into his chest, enveloping her with his arms. Any other attempts on her part to object were swallowed by the fabric of his shirt and her flustered, uncooperative brain.

"You probably already know this, but," the man continued quietly, not sure if she was listening but devoted to saying it anyways, "I love you, Luka Megurine. And I'm here for you, whenever you need anything. Seriously, I–" his voice dropped to a whisper, "I wish I could hold you like this, every day, for the rest of my life…"

Her mind went blank for a moment, then she thought, smiling a little internally, _He really did say it when he's sober, huh… _Then the little smile disappeared. _And I can't even… figure out what I feel… I'm such a coward, huh… weak… Why can't I control myself? Why do I need to? Why does everything have to be so complicated… What happened to me?_ Unanswered questions swirled chaotically in her mind, multiplying the painful feeling in her chest. _Why can't I figure anything out? Why…?_

Her mind suddenly grew silent as she moved her hands which had been hanging limply at her sides, lifting them to the back of Gakupo's shirt where they gripped the fabric tightly. He inhaled in surprise, then held her closer as she relaxed in his arms and closed her eyes.

_Surely…_ she thought, only a whisper in her mind, _surely it's okay, just to be happy like this…_

* * *

**A/N: Gosh, Luka, if you wanna kiss him so much just do it. Stubborn tsundere =3=**

**Next chappie as soon as I type it up~ ^^ Review s'il vous plaît~**

**Edit: ._. himself. Not herself. GAKUPYON IS A GUY I SWEAR - also, how come nobody caught that until now? **


	5. Powerless

**A/N: Uh-oh, a straight chapter name? That's never a good sign. ...Okay, I apologize in advance for the Luka-torture in this chapter. I decided she needed a weakness, some sort of phobia, so I gave her mine. And as soon as I decided that? Record-breaking thunderstorms this season TTwTT Karma.**

**Disclaimerr: Don't own Vocaloid, nor any electronics mentioned, nor am I advertising said electronics or anything =w= OH, and I realized after I wrote it how similar it was to one episode of Ouran High School Host Club (ep. 7?) and that's purely coincidence, gomenesai, no copyright infringement intended~**

**Okay, think of the scariest thing in your life and keep that in mind the entire time you're reading this. So... enjoy? xD**

* * *

Luka's eyes snapped open, staring blankly into the nothingness of the dark room. She couldn't tell what had woken her, but the lingering traces of something electric lingered in her spine. She stared at the darkness for a minute, listening as her heart rate slowly returned to normal, when a distant rumble sent it flying again. She cautiously stepped out of her bed and glanced out the window. Low, oppressive clouds, dimly illuminated by the city lights, blocked out the stars, but it wasn't raining. She was just about to ignore her suspicion and go back to bed when a sudden, ear-splitting crack struck just outside her window. Lightning and thunder collided violently, nearly drowning out her scream.

She covered her mouth in shock. "Ooo-kay," she said, her voice and hands shaking as she closed the shades and stumbled across the room to turn on the light. "Where's my iPod? I'll find my iPod and then everything's going to be just… fine…" she attempted to reassure herself in her increasingly shaky voice as her heart and breathing rates flew on their own accord. Rain began to pound on the window, and thunder danced ominously in the distance as if it were waiting to attack at any moment. Unable to find her glorious sound-cancelling device, Luka covered her ears and ran into the living room, throwing on lights as she went.

_I might've left it on the end table,_ she thought, searching the room with unconcealed panic. Her attempts to cover her ears were no use against the next deep, thundering crash that shook the entire building, rattled the dishes, and almost knocked her off her feet. She had to grab the walls for support as her knees decided to stop cooperating, leaving her ears free to hear the cacophony of crashes and booms that accompanied sharp, cutting bursts of lightning that even thick curtains couldn't hide. The chaos echoed nearly constantly within the battering rain in the maelstrom that seemed to be centered right above her.

She was still making her way across the room, fighting tears, when a malicious crash that sounded like Godzilla being thrown into a giant-metal-object and screen door factory shook the building. The lights flickered once. Luka froze and stared, wide-eyed, at the floor, every muscle tensed. _It better not… if the power… I swear I'll…_ she thought disjointedly as adrenaline coursed through her blood.

Then the lights flickered again, and the building was thrown into darkness.

Luka sank to her knees on the floor, huddled into a ball, covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. It was no use; the horrible thundering was now accompanied by full-clarity bursts of lightning. Luka couldn't do anything but shake on the floor as the rain and wind and thunder battered at the walls like they were trying to break them down and suck her up. She hardly noticed as tears slipped through her tightly-closed eyelids and high-pitched screams escaped her mouth; she didn't even have the clarity of mind to scold herself for being so weak. She hopelessly tried to guard herself from the world that was tumbling into insanity, until one sound filtered through the hellish chaos to reach her.

…_Ka… _Was she imagining that voice that sounded like it was a hundred miles away? _Lu…ka, …kay? Pow… out…_ She uncovered her ears and forced her muscles to craw shakily towards the front door in the pitch-blackness. The blinding bursts of light filled her ears with a dizzying rushing sound rather than helping her see. She finally got close enough to discern that some of the banging wasn't coming from the sky, it was someone at the door – and that person was shouting her name.

At the moment she realized it was Gakupo, she didn't think,_ Ugh, it's him again._

She didn't think, _I don't want him to see me like this._

All she thought was, _Finally, I don't have to be alone._

She picked herself up and ran towards the door, wincing as the stark flashes of light and head-splitting booms in the darkness sent tears flowing down her face. She reached the door just as the man's shouts became hectic. She fumbled blindly with the lock, but finally, it opened.

"Luka! Thank god you're o–" Gakupo's relieved words cut off in surprise as the woman threw herself into his arms. Wrapping her arms around his chest and burying her face in his shoulder, she trembled silently while the man tried to figure out what to do and the sky rumbled menacingly.

"Luka, are you okay?" he asked over the pounding of the rain. She shook her head, then lifted her face to wipe the tears away. "Hey, are you crying? What's wrong–?" A sudden, nearly simultaneous flash and crack illuminated the hallway and shook the walls around them. Luka happened to be looking up at Gakupo, and the pure terror he saw on her face almost made _him_ cry. He quickly pulled her into an embrace, holding her head against his chest.

"Ohh, I see. It's okay, it's all going to be fine," he said as soothingly as he could while petting her hair. "You wanna stay with me? I have some candles and flashlights in my apartment…" She nodded with her face still buried in his shirt, wincing at another crack of thunder.

"Okay, then." He released one hand to close her door and open his own, then led the clinging woman inside. He set her down on the couch next to a few candles flickering on the coffee table, wrapped a blanket around her, and managed to dislodge her arms with a promise to be back right away. Luka curled into a ball again, with her eyes shut and ears covered. Gakupo returned, set a few more candles down on the table, and handed her his iPod. She quickly snatched up the earbuds and hit play, not even bothering to choose the song. She was surprised to hear her own voice, though. She was a starting-out singer struggling for recognition, and the fact that one person seemed to have _all_ her songs was a bit shocking. Then again, it _was_ Gakupo… she winced again as the room was illuminated far more than the candles could've managed, and even the music couldn't drown out the crashing that followed. She quickly skipped to an album that didn't include herself and closed her eyes again.

Gakupo sat down next to her on the couch and put his arm around her shoulders hesitantly, but clearly this wasn't enough. After the next crash, she tackled him backwards so that he was lying on the couch with her snuggling closely on top of him. Sighing, he adjusted the blanket so it covered her and held her in his arms.

Her ears occupied by some heavy-metal band she didn't recognize, Luka tried to focus on something other than the storm. As close as she was to Gakupo, she could feel his breathing and heartbeat, his warmth surrounding her, and attempted to relax her super-tensed muscles and empty her rapidly-circulating bloodstream of the stress hormones it was saturated with, but it was no use. Each set of lightning and thunder – unfortunately frequent as they were – caused her arms to tighten around the man and a few more tears to squeeze their way onto his shirt.

For Gakupo, seeing strong, stubborn, nothing-bothers-me Luka in such distress was heartbreaking. He tried a number of things to calm her down, from rubbing her back to playing with her hair to just holding her tightly. Still no luck. The poor woman continued to be tortured by the hellish storm, her entire lifetime of the phobia building up to this night of powerlessness. Eventually, Luka noticed his breathing change and his throat vibrating. _Is he talking to himself? _she thought through the panic in her mind. _No…singing? Even though he knows I can't hear him?_

Eventually, her curiosity won her over and she paused the music that had been almost blocking out the thunder to hear what he was singing. It was an unfamiliar song, and she couldn't make out all the words, but his deep, gentle voice was soothing, even if she could hear the thunder more clearly without the iPod.

He continued singing for a while, and Luka found herself, bit by bit, relaxing her stubborn muscles. The storm continued outside, but she was completely wrapped in his voice and his embrace, and nothing could harm her there.

It wasn't until the thunder and lightning had vanished, leaving a silent, dark echo in their sudden absence with a few stray raindrops pelting the windows, that Luka fell into a numb, exhausted sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Luka... what would you have done if he hadn't shown up? Had a seizure on the floor? ^^""""" ||OTL I'm sorryyy, at least Gaku's there for you~**

**Luka: *Death-glare***

**Review please? :D**

**EDIT: *Blanket, not blanked... thanks to Marina45 for noticing =w=;;  
**


	6. The Chapter of Chapterlyness

**A/N: Forgive me for the summer laziness! *Bows* So I sat down yesterday and wrote an extra-long chapter to make up for it! It's rather satisfying, too, in my opinion. Also, as the author of this universe I hereby temporarily deny the existence of morning breath. Actually, why don't I permanently deny it? Yeah, this universe is better off without, it anyways.**

**Disclaimer: Uhhh, no owny Vocaloid, or Apple, and I swear I'm not advertising for them or anything ^^""**

* * *

Early-morning rain pattered down on the windows.

Like a shadow… or an echo…

The misty, ghostly light streaming through the curtained windows was now joined by many brighter lights, coaxing the man into awareness… but only for a moment. What did it matter? He slid back into oblivion.

Hours later, Gakupo opened his eyes slowly. He wasn't in bed, he was on the couch… most of the lights in the house were on… the power must've come back at some point… the candles had burned out, and the woman… was still sleeping silently on top of him, her body curving around his.

He sighed peacefully, for a moment tempted to give into the lull of sleep. After all, it was so warm, and the couch was infinitely comfier than it had been the night before, not to mention the perk of being a novelist was that he could work whenever he wanted… but then he realized that it was Monday, he had no idea what time it was, and Luka probably had to go to work.

He glanced over at the digital clock next to the TV. It blinked 12:00, having not been reset since the power had returned. He glanced around and located his iPod, headphones still lodged in Luka's ears. The earbuds he removed – _must've been uncomfortable to sleep in them _– and checked the clock on the device.

He sighed again, this time more with disappointment, and nudged the woman's shoulder. "Luka, wake up," he said quietly. "Don't you have work? Luka…"

She groaned softly, her tired body protesting being brought into the world so soon. Slowly she lifted her head, stared at him with half-closed eyes, and as he opened his mouth to say something…

…She caught the edge of his jaw in her free hand and pulled his mouth down to hers. His eyes flew wide as she kissed him passionately, senselessly, not holding back any of the desire that swirled and multiplied within her. Their mouths locked together perfectly, with Luka tilting her head sharply to the right as she carelessly devoured his mouth. It lasted forever and was over too soon as she eventually released him. Her lips retreated reluctantly as her eyes fluttered open, blinking at him curiously as if she were in a daze.

"What… was that for?" he whispered finally, and she seemed to truly open her eyes for the first time.

"This… isn't a dream?" she exclaimed in disbelief, turning red to her ears and looking mortified. She tried to scramble off of him in embarrassment, but she was caught by his unbudging arms, holding her closer as he laughed.

"So, that's what you normally dream about?" he mused with a smirk. "Interesting…"

She muttered something along the lines of "Let me go," her face pressed into his shirt.

"Oh, by the way, do you have to go to work today?" he suddenly remembered his original objective. "It's after 9:30…"

"WHAT?" she screamed, leaping off him (this time, he let her go,) and bolting out of the apartment. He watched her scramble into her own across the hall, then shuffled tiredly into his room to pull on a bathrobe. He had just barely reached the hall to check on Luka when the woman emerged rapidly from her apartment, fully dressed and carrying her work bag. She quickly locked the door and, ignoring the man and the elevator, dashed down the stairs.

She stopped half a flight down, turned, and stepped up to a point where she could see Gakupo, who was still standing outside his door and looking at her in awe. Red-faced, she stuttered out, "T-thank you… for last night…" He nodded, wide-eyed, and she continued flying down the stairs.

She realized as she was driving – way over safe speeds, to be sure – that there was so much she'd forgotten to ask him, so much she'd wanted to say. But that would have to wait for later.

At the moment, she was over an hour and a half late for work, and there was no way her manager would be happy about that.

* * *

Luka pulled into the office parking lot cautiously. She couldn't help but notice all the cars of the good, _on-time_ employees already filling all the good spaces. She scolded herself for not thinking of work when she'd been panicking the night before, and tried to formulate her excuse as she hurried towards the door.

There wasn't any time, however, as she nearly ran into her manager, who was standing in the lobby waiting for her.

She jumped back, then froze as the tall, glasses-wearing man narrowed his eyes at her. "Luka…" he began.

"Mr. Hiyama, I sincerely apologize for being so utterly, unimaginably, inexcusably late!" she interrupted him, the words tumbling out in a rush. She glanced up at him, waiting for him to fire her or give her 20 hours of paperwork as a punishment or something.

Finally, he said, "The thunderstorm last night knocked out the power in your part of the city, didn't it? And you probably didn't have an alarm clock to wake you up, right?"

She blinked in surprise. "Y-yeah…"

He sighed. "Then there's no helping it, I suppose. Hurry up and get to work. There's a new song I'd like you to look over."

He headed back to his office, and Luka stood there for a moment, shocked at her good fortune. Then she hurried off, feeling relieved and reasoning with herself that there was really no reason to tell him the rest of the events of last night…

During lunch, Luka attempted to stifle a huge yawn, but only managed to contort her face into a gargoyle-like expression. Miku, her fellow singer (although the younger woman was much more popular,) nearly choked on her leek bread as she watched.

"Was that supposed to be a yawn?" she exclaimed after she'd swallowed and laughed at her friend's expense.

"Yeah," Luka muttered, picking at her own meal.

"Ah, there was that huge thunderstorm last night, wasn't there?" Miku realized. She and Luka had been friends for years; of course she would be one of the few that knew about Luka's little phobia. "I heard the power went out all over the place! Even I would've been scared by that! Poor Luka must've been so terrified!" She dramatically pulled Luka's head down to her shoulder and patted her hair comfortingly.

Luka wrenched herself out of the younger woman's grasp. Since she was the one who usually took care of Miku, it was no surprise that the tealette often milked her opportunities to act as the mature, comforting one. Luka frowned down at her food. "It was no big deal," she lied.

"'It was no big deal,' she says," Miku imitated Luka's low mutter, attempting to also recreate the stoic look on her face. "Flapjacks, Luka, we all know you were scared out of your wits. Admit it."

"'Flapjacks'?" Luka raised an eyebrow at her strange new expression.

"In any case, feel free to call me when there's a thunderstorm, like I said!" Miku continued sternly.

_Call…?_ Luka suddenly remembered the many offers her friend had made to call her in times of extreme peril, such as thunderstorms. _I forgot all about calling… _"I… didn't want to bother you so late at night," she lied again.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Miku sighed tragically. "So tell me, how DID you manage to not go insane last night?"

"Ah, well…" _There's no way I can tell her I clung to Gakupo like a frightened child…!_ "I Just listened to my iPod until it went away."

Miku smiled and pulled something out of her bag. "You mean _this _iPod?" She held up Luka's portable music player, the earbuds wrapped around it, and Luka felt her stomach flip. "You left it at work on Friday, and I thought I'd hold onto it so nobody would take it. Now tell me…" she leaned forward, her cheerful smile seeming more menacing by the second, "what _really_ happened last night? I can see _riiiggghtt _through you. Right to your _soul_. So no more lies this time, Ms. Fibs-a-lot."

Luka gulped and snatched her iPod away from Miku, slowly placing it in her bag as an excuse not to look at the teal-haired young woman. Panicking, she attempted to arrange the story of the night before into something decent-sounding. _'Um, you know my neighbor Gakupo? I slept with him… I mean, not WITH him, just ON TOP of him… I mean… so he found me after the power went out and took me to his apartment because he had candles and he let me lay on top of him on the couch because I was so scared I was nearly strangling him and I listened to his iPod for a bit but then he started singing and I listened to that instead and eventually I fell asleep. But nothing happened! Wipe that satisfied grin off your face!'_

_Yeah, right. No way I'm saying that._ Her cheeks had begun to flush just at the thought of it.

_But… I guess I don't have to say the WHOLE story of my pathetic clingy-ness…_

"I stayed over at my neighbor's apartment," was the explanation she settled for.

"Hmmm? Your neighbor?" Miku said, narrowing her eyes. She seemed to reason that she wouldn't get a straight answer if she directly asked who it was, so instead she asked, "Why'd you do that?"

"Huh? Why? Well, it's better than being alone, and he had candles and stuff, so…"

It was the 'he' that gave Luka away. Miku gasped excitedly and guessed, "You don't mean the cute purple-haired one that's totally in love with you? Gaku-something?"

Luka couldn't keep the shock off her face. Without a proper response, all she could mutter was, "Gakupo, you mean…" A helpful voice in the back of her head (that sounded suspiciously like Miku) reminded her, _Oh, and then you woke up and kissed the bajeebers out of him! Not to mention all the other fun stuff you two did together over the weekend!_

_Shut up, _she mentally scolded the voice, blushing even more.

Meanwhile, Miku had been flipping out at Luka's confirmation of her guess. "Awww! I bet you were clinging to him like your life depended on it every time you heard a rumble!"

"Was not!"

"Did you kiss him?" Miku had suddenly leaned in closely to stare at Luka straight in the eyes.

"N-no!" she stuttered out, her face bright red.

"You did, didn't you!"

"I was half-asleep!" she shouted the excuse without thinking.

Miku gasped. "So you DID! I had no idea, of course, I was just guessing…"

Luka blanched. _I just told her, didn't I…? This girl is the Queen of Demons…_

"Tell me more!" Miku demanded, invading Luka's space some more.

"Oh, look at the time! Better hurry back to work!" Luka began shoving food in her mouth to avoid the tealette's demands.

"C'mon, Luka!" whined said tealette. "Tell me tell me tell me!"

"Tell you what?" she said calmly between bites.

"Do you love him?"

Luka froze; her fork fell out of her hand and clattered on the table. She was completely unprepared for such a pure question. It was something she hadn't even dared to ask herself, and the fact that Miku could say it so bluntly…

"H-how am I supposed to answer that?" she blurted out finally under the pressure of Miku's stare.

Her eyes narrowed, and her lips twitched towards pouting. "It's a 'yes' or 'no' question, Luka… I would suggest one of the two…" (_Preferably the former, _she added mentally.)

'_Yes' or 'no'? _she thought. _Is it really that simple? You love someone or you don't love someone? But… it's really so much more complicated…!_

"I… don't know…" she said quietly, her eyes cast down. Miku frowned at the unsatisfactory answer, and was about to pester Luka for more details when the pink-haired woman suddenly stood up. "We really do have to get back to work," she said quickly, packing up the remainders of her lunch. "We have that duet to sing together, remember?"

Miku's scowl quickly transformed into a mischievous smirk. "Won't Gaku-poo be jealous that you're singing a love song with another woman?"

Luka "hmph"ed, said "I'm sure 'Gaku-poo' will love it," and quickly began heading out of the cafeteria. Under her breath, she added, "Just like the rest of my songs…"

Miku hurried to catch up and the two women walked to rehearsals together.

In the back of Luka's mind, a quiet voice left an almost unimpressionable echo upon her thoughts.

_Of course you do._

* * *

Luka had expected to talk to Gakupo at some point that evening, but she hadn't expected him to be so quick in catching her. She had barely unlocked her door when she heard his voice behind her. "Good afternoon, Luka~"

She turned slowly to face him. "Good afternoon to you, too."

He smiled. "Would you like to come in for a drink?" he offered pleasantly.

"No thanks, I'm done with alcohol for a while…"

"I have coffee, too, if you'd like."

"Sorry, I just had a long day at work, and I'm tired, so…"

"Oh, can I make you dinner, then?"

"N-no, I'm fine, I'll just have leftovers…"

He ran his fingers through his bangs with a sigh of good-natured frustration. "Help me out here, Luka."

_What am I doing? I DO want to talk to him…_ she thought. _Well, I don't want him to bother making dinner for me, at least…_

She sighed in defeat. "I'll have some coffee then, please."

He smiled widely and led her inside. She followed in defeat, depositing her shoes and back on the small entryway floor and taking a seat in the kitchen. Gakupo placed a mug in front of her and sat in the seat facing her. She mumbled her thanks and took a sip. It was sweeter than she would've made it.

"So, how was your day?" he began with a smile. "You didn't get in trouble for being late, did you…?"

She shook her head. "My manager understood that I didn't have my alarm clock, y'know… because of the power…" she trailed off, trying not to think of the storm and the little flutter of panic that crawled up her throat at said thought. "Hey, speaking of work… I noticed you have all my songs." A little smile edged its way onto her face as she glanced up at him.

He raised his eyebrows. "And?"

"Well, I didn't think I had many fans."

"A shame, really."

"You think so?"

"Of course. You have a beautiful voice."

She glanced down at her coffee, unable to keep from smiling and blushing a bit at the compliment. "Thanks… Oh, by the way, what was that song you sang last night?"

He laughed. "So you were listening, huh? Which one?"

"The first one."

"Ah. I… I wrote that…"

"You write songs?" she exclaimed.

"You don't have to seem so surprised about it…"

"But that's impressive, I thought you were just a novelist…"

He sniffed haughtily, imitating a stuck-up elitist. "I am a writer of all kinds, my dear."

"So can you sing it again? I didn't catch the words…" she said, ignoring the 'my dear'.

"Ah, well…" He seemed embarrassed, for once. "The words are really cheesy, to tell you the truth…"

"C'mon, you've already heard the songs I've been forced to write," Luka rolled her eyes as she said this, "and I really wanna hear it… please?"

He glanced up at her, sighed, and said, "Okay. But! You have to answer some questions for me first."

Luka gulped. _He better not ask the same thing as Miku today…_ She nodded hesitantly.

Surprisingly, his first question was, "How long have you been afraid of thunderstorms?"

Caught off-guard, she answered honestly. "All my life, I think…" She thought of her vague memories of crawling in her parents' bed anytime she heard so much as a rumble.

He nodded. "And what do you usually do?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Listen to my iPod, but turns out I left that at work… and the power doesn't usually go out, so I'm fine…"

"You always try to get through it on your own?"

"Well… I don't think it's worth bothering anybody…"

"I don't mind being bothered."

"Try saying that at 4 AM once or twice a month, you'll start minding," she said with a humorless laugh.

"But if you have to put up with it, I really don't mind being there for you." When she didn't say anything, he added jokingly, "You have the spare key; you can come in and cuddle anytime you–"

"Tempting, but no thanks," she interrupted him quickly.

"Hmm…" he thought of his next question. "Why do you like tuna so much?"

"Because it's delicious, duh. Why do _you_ like eggplants so much?"

"Hey, I'm the one asking the questions here."

"Yeah, yeah, go on."

He thought for a moment. "What's your favorite color?"

She raised an eyebrow at the question, but answered it regardless. "Purple." She noticed the smirk forming on his face, and quickly added, "Oh, quit it, it has nothing to do with you. I just happen to like it."

The look on his face showed that he didn't believe her, but he went on to the next question. "When's your birthday?"

"January 30th, why? You wanna give me a present?"

"But of course. Mine's the 31st of July, in case you were wondering." He thought for a moment again, then asked his next question. "What's your dream?"

"My… dream?"

"Yeah, your hope, wish, aspiration, for life… what is it?"

"I don't know… become a famous and internationally-acclaimed singer and help create world peace?"

"World peace, huh…?" he glanced at her in amusement.

"What? Plenty of people wish for that, right?" she said defensively.

He chuckled a little. "Okay, last one."

"Go on," she said, finishing her coffee.

He waited until she was done, and then asked softly, "Do you love me?"

Her head bonked down onto the table.

"Uh, that's not quite the answer I was expecting, but should I take that as a yes?" he asked hopefully.

"No… I mean… why should I… that question… I don't even know…" she muttered to the table.

"…You don't even know the answer?" he finished quietly.

She raised her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not telling you."

"Then I'm not singing," he said decidedly.

"That's not fair!" she complained.

"'Not fair'?" he smiled suspiciously and leaned forward. "You did the same thing to me with the questions, remember? In the car?"

She gulped. "I thought you were drunk enough to forget that…!"

He laughed. "It came back to me. Oh, and speaking of fairness… remember how you kissed me this morning?"

She only stared at him, wide-eyed and growing gradually redder. It didn't help that he was leaning across the table, his face close to hers.

"I think, it would only be _fair,_ since you got a kiss, for me to get one, too."

Her face grew even redder as she remembered his warm mouth… and being able to kiss it again so soon would be… Her eyes slid shut. "Fine, then," she whispered.

A tense moment passed in which her heart did random backflips in her chest in anticipation. Then, suddenly, he laughed, and his voice was further away. Her eyes flew open to see he was back in his seat and smiling at her mischievously.

"Of course, I'm not going to tell you when I'm gonna take it," he said. At once, Luka knew this was 100 times worse than an immediate kiss, and that it was clearly meant to torture her.

"Aww, come on!" she exclaimed in frustration, her face still bright red.

He laughed. "What, are you that eager to kiss me?"

Suddenly, she wanted to be away from this infuriating man as soon as possible. She stood up abruptly, said, "Thanks for the coffee," and stormed out.

"Let me know when you have the answer!" he called after her as she left.

No sooner had she shut her door behind her than she slid down to the floor, trying to gain control of her heartbeat. _What should I do? Should I just kiss him? No, that might make him think he gets two free ones… What if… I just give in? Finally just… figure out… that I – _

There was a sudden knock on the door, and she leapt to her feet. Inevitably, her thoughts jumped to – _Has he come for the kiss already?_ And sure enough, when she cautiously, opened the door, Gakupo was smiling down at her.

"You forgot these," he said, holding up her shoes and bag. She snatched them away and was about to shut the door in his face when he said, "Ah, would you mind driving me back to the bar to grab my car sometime soon? I don't really wanna buy a taxi for that short distance…"

She glared at him through the crack in the door. "It's your own damn fault for getting so drunk. You can walk, then." She closed the door.

_Damn that man… If I react this way every time I see him, my life's gonna be hell for as long as he wants it to be…_

_God help me…_

* * *

**A/N: Need some help, Luka? YES! YOU LOVE HIM! JUST GET THAT THROUGH YOUR SKULL ALREADDYYY! In any case, it would appear every single one of her friends is evil and intent on torturing her. MWAHAHAHAHA~ I had so much fun writing this 0:D**

**Reviews, please? ^^**

**EDIT: It would appear FF deletes all consecutive sequences of exclamation points and question marks, which means I can't make the character sound like they're flipping out as much as I'd hoped to. Phooey.  
**


	7. AN: I'm making this a manga

**A/N: Well, this isn't really an "update," so to speak… |D**

**I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm making a manga out of this here fanfic~ It's not very good at first, I admit it, but part of the reason I'm doing it is to improve. The other part is because I felt like it :D (Even though I have way too many things I need to do and school's starting next week and *headdeskheaddeskheaddesk*)  
**

**I still think it's pretty cute, though, so go ahead and read it at:**

**http:/kkbook (dot) deviantart (dot) com/gallery/32100659**

**Or find the link on my profile, if you're too lazy to replace the (dot)'s with actual dots. I would understand.**

**Enjoy, I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can~! Oh, and I'm thinking of adding KaiMei, any thoughts? ^^**

**...I kinda hate doing these things, because it sets the chapters off and says the next one's 8 :I Oh well.  
**


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